"Peter Gibian explores the key role played by Oliver Wendell Holmes in what was known as America's "Age of Conversation." Holmes was both a model and an analyst of the dynamic conversational form that became central to many areas of mid-nineteenth-century life. His multi-voiced writings can serve as a key to open up the closed interiors of Victorian America, whether in saloons or salons, parlors or clubs, hotels or boarding houses, schoolrooms or doctors' offices.

Combining social, intellectual, medical, legal, and literary history with close textual analysis, and setting Holmes in dialogue with Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, Fuller, Alcott, and finally with his son, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior, Gibian radically redefines the context for our understanding of the major literary works of the American Renaissance."--Jacket.

Opening the Conversation --
The Conversation of a culture: strange powers of speech --
Holmes in the conversation of his culture --
"To change the order of conversation": interruption and vocal diversity in Holmes' American talk --
"Collisions of Discourse" I: The Electrodynamics of Conversation: A carnival of verbal fireworks --
"Collisions of Discourse" II: Electric and Ocaenic "Currents" In Conversation: The cultural work of Holmesian talk --
A Conversational Approach To Truth: the Doctor in dialogue with contemporary truth-sayers --
Conversation and "Therapeutic Nihilism": the Doctor in dialogue with contemporary medicine --
The Self In Conversation: the Doctor in dialogue with contemporary psychology --
The Two Poles 0f Conversation --
The Bipolar Dynamices of Holmes' Household Dialogues: levity and gravity --
Holmes' House Divided: house-keeping and house-breaking --
"Cutting off the Communication": fixations and falls for the walled-in-self- Holmes in dialogue with Sterne, Dickens, and Melville --
Breaking the House of Romance: Holmes in dialogue with Hawthorne --
Closing the Conversation --
Conclusion: Holmes Senior in dialogue with Holmes Junior.

Résumé :

"Peter Gibian explores the key role played by Oliver Wendell Holmes in what was known as America's "Age of Conversation." Holmes was both a model and an analyst of the dynamic conversational form that became central to many areas of mid-nineteenth-century life. His multi-voiced writings can serve as a key to open up the closed interiors of Victorian America, whether in saloons or salons, parlors or clubs, hotels or boarding houses, schoolrooms or doctors' offices.

Combining social, intellectual, medical, legal, and literary history with close textual analysis, and setting Holmes in dialogue with Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, Fuller, Alcott, and finally with his son, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior, Gibian radically redefines the context for our understanding of the major literary works of the American Renaissance."--Jacket.

"Opening the Conversation -- The Conversation of a culture: strange powers of speech -- Holmes in the conversation of his culture -- "To change the order of conversation": interruption and vocal diversity in Holmes' American talk -- "Collisions of Discourse" I: The Electrodynamics of Conversation: A carnival of verbal fireworks -- "Collisions of Discourse" II: Electric and Ocaenic "Currents" In Conversation: The cultural work of Holmesian talk -- A Conversational Approach To Truth: the Doctor in dialogue with contemporary truth-sayers -- Conversation and "Therapeutic Nihilism": the Doctor in dialogue with contemporary medicine -- The Self In Conversation: the Doctor in dialogue with contemporary psychology -- The Two Poles 0f Conversation -- The Bipolar Dynamices of Holmes' Household Dialogues: levity and gravity -- Holmes' House Divided: house-keeping and house-breaking -- "Cutting off the Communication": fixations and falls for the walled-in-self- Holmes in dialogue with Sterne, Dickens, and Melville -- Breaking the House of Romance: Holmes in dialogue with Hawthorne -- Closing the Conversation -- Conclusion: Holmes Senior in dialogue with Holmes Junior."@en

"Combining social, intellectual, medical, legal, and literary history with close textual analysis, and setting Holmes in dialogue with Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, Fuller, Alcott, and finally with his son, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior, Gibian radically redefines the context for our understanding of the major literary works of the American Renaissance."--Jacket."@en

""Peter Gibian explores the key role played by Oliver Wendell Holmes in what was known as America's "Age of Conversation." Holmes was both a model and an analyst of the dynamic conversational form that became central to many areas of mid-nineteenth-century life. His multi-voiced writings can serve as a key to open up the closed interiors of Victorian America, whether in saloons or salons, parlors or clubs, hotels or boarding houses, schoolrooms or doctors' offices."